Cyberattacks Surge Across Africa – INTERPOL Issues Urgent Warning for Western and Eastern Regions

The latest INTERPOL 2025 Africa Cyberthreat Assessment Report reveals a dramatic rise in cybercrime across the continent, with cybercriminal activities now representing more than 30% of all reported crime in Western and Eastern Africa.

Over two-thirds of INTERPOL’s African member countries surveyed reported that cyber-related crimes account for a medium to high share of all criminal activities.

The report highlights the urgent need for improved law enforcement coordination, investment in digital infrastructure, and strengthened regional cooperation to combat emerging threats.

Escalating Cyberthreats

Cybercrime is now a pervasive issue in Africa, driven by a combination of rapid digitalization and limited law enforcement resources.

Online scams, particularly through phishing and fraudulent emails, are the most frequently reported types of cybercrime. Ransomware, business email compromise (BEC), and digital sextortion are also surging in prevalence.

According to Kaspersky data, some African countries experienced up to a 3,000% increase in suspected scam notifications over the past year.

Ransomware detections in Africa increased significantly in 2024, with South Africa (17,849 detections) and Egypt (12,281 detections) leading the way, followed by Nigeria (3,459) and Kenya (3,030).

These attacks have targeted both private sector entities and critical infrastructure, including breaches at Kenya’s Urban Roads Authority (KURA) and hacks of Nigeria’s National Bureau of Statistics (NBS).

BEC fraud, a sophisticated form of financial crime, has been linked to highly organized transnational syndicates, such as Black Axe, resulting in millions of dollars in losses.

Digital sextortion has also seen a marked spike, with 60% of surveyed countries reporting increased cases.

Threat actors use both authentic and AI-generated explicit images to blackmail victims, exploiting vulnerabilities in both technical and social domains.

Law Enforcement Challenges and Technical Gaps

Despite the surge in cybercrime, the capacity of African law enforcement agencies to respond remains woefully inadequate. Seventy-five percent of countries report that their legal frameworks and prosecution capacities require significant improvement.

Ninety-five percent of respondents cited inadequate training, lack of specialized tools, and resource constraints as major obstacles.

Critical IT infrastructure is lacking in most African countries, with only 30% having an incident reporting system, 29% a digital evidence repository, and 19% a cyberthreat intelligence database.

Furthermore, 86% of countries indicated that their international cooperation capacity is insufficient, hampered by slow, formal processes and limited access to foreign data.

Collaboration with private sector partners is also hindered, with 89% of countries seeking improved engagement channels and better institutional preparedness.

Path Forward: Strengthening Cyber Resilience

In response to these challenges, several African nations have begun to harmonize their cybersecurity laws with international standards and invest in specialized units and digital forensics.

International operations like INTERPOL’s Operation Serengeti and Operation Red Card have resulted in more than 1,000 arrests and the dismantling of hundreds of thousands of malicious networks.

To further bolster Africa’s cyber resilience, INTERPOL recommends:

• Improving regional and international cooperation
• Expanding public awareness and prevention efforts
• Leveraging emerging technologies such as AI-driven threat detection

Neal Jetton, INTERPOL Cybercrime Director, emphasized, “No single agency or country can face these challenges alone.” Ambassador Jalel Chelba of AFRIPOL added, “Cybersecurity is now a fundamental pillar of stability, peace, and sustainable development in Africa.”

As cybercrime continues to outpace legal frameworks, the need for urgent, coordinated action has never been more critical.